[2pasc]

The sad truth about startup life and Silicon Valley is that many people become wealthy not because they created something meaningful with lots of customers or users or revenues, but because they get acquired and let die. This would be all fine if founders did not equate net worth with success and smarts. I admire Companies that get acquired and where the product continue to live on beyond the acquisition like PayPal, Siri, Youtube, Admob etc... That's the proof you created something really meaningful!

[kenrikm]

I think you're missing the point, If you're in this just to get wealthy there are many other professions that offer a much safer route to get there (Lawyer, Doctor) I don't think you just fall into being an entrepreneur for the money, otherwise you would give up when you're eating ramen noodles pulling 18 hour shifts for months on end without a return. Nope, I think to build a company you need something else driving you rather than the dream of wealth alone. From what I have seen it's clear that SamA has that drive or the company would not have made it as far as it did.

[2pasc]

I don't know SamA, and so I am not saying this against him at all. Nor am I saying that people become entrepreneur for the money. As you mention, there are safer routes to get money. I am describing something I have observed in Silicon Valley, especially in the last few years. You have the lucky folks who flipped their Company fast, and sometimes see themselves as the master of the universe. You also have the dedicated ones - and Dennis Crowley from Dodgeball and Foursquare is definitely in this category.

I think it is sad, especially because of all the efforts that we as entrepreneurs put into these Companies. Most of all, I criticize this general sentiment in SV right now, that success=money through acquisition/IPO. If SamA gets his vision realized through Green Dot - all the better for him and for the Loopt team! (and us as users!)